


Rewind

by Quietier



Category: Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Character Death, Depression, Head Injury, Hospitalization, Hospitals, Injury, M/M, Made by Author Heart, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Taka Is Sad, revival
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-21
Updated: 2017-12-21
Packaged: 2019-02-17 22:21:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,615
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13086600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quietier/pseuds/Quietier
Summary: Ishimaru Kiyotaka doesn't seem to want to die.What might happen when he wakes up in an unfamiliar environment after being attacked?





	Rewind

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! I know Going Back hasn't been updated for a while, but don't worry. it's coming along. I've been in a writing slump lately, and writing this has helped drag my sorry ass out of it!
> 
> Kiyotaka is going to seem a bit OOC in the beginning, but don't worry, it won't stay like that.
> 
> Yes, I know Hope's Peak isn't technically a High school, but I decided to make it a high school so Taka wakes up living with his mother. Everyone is about 17 years old in this.

Kiyotaka Ishimaru feels he’s seen a lot. But what he had already seen pales in comparison to what he saw in Hope’s Peak Academy, for the super high-school level students. His time there was complete torture. His friends dropping like flies all around him, with his other friends being their killers. It was a nightmare, and every time he would fall asleep, he would pray that he would wake up in his old home, with his parents, not in the hellish school he now had to call home.

There was one thing good about going to that school, however. He finally made a very close friend, Mondo Oowada. Sure, they might have disliked each other at first, but they warmed up to each other… Literally. They have a battle as to who could stay inside of the sauna longer, and they came out very close friends. It was one of the best moments of his life, in all honesty. He never had a truly close friend like Mondo before this, so there was one light in this mess of despair. Of course, despair follows quickly after Kiyotaka, slithering like a snake through the shadows, darkening anything it may come across.

Mondo Oowada was tried and convicted of the murder of Chihiro Fujisaki, the super high-school level programmer. Kiyotaka was completely devastated. He remembered begging Monokuma to stop, to wait, to give him some time with Mondo so he could just figure out why he killed Chihiro. Of course, Monokuma didn’t wait. In a desperate attempt to stop Monokuma, Kiyotaka, the super high-school level Moral Compass, voted for himself as the murderer. Obviously this was futile, considering everyone else voted for Mondo, especially since he said he did confess.

Kiyotaka’s mind was reeling as he tried anything to stop Monokuma, begging him, saying he would take Mondo’s place in the execution. Nothing worked, of course. So, in a last-ditch effort to portray how strongly he felt about this matter, he grabbed Mondo Oowada, the super high-school level biker gang leader, and kissed him. He kissed him with all his desperation, with all his emotion. Everyone around the two was shocked into silence, even as Mondo was ripped from Kiyotaka’s grasp.

All he remembers after Mondo being pulled away was himself on the ground, shaking, crying, and screaming. He doesn't remember much for a little while after that, just a lot of self-loathing and tears… 

When alter ego came in, he didn't remember much either. Just that he felt reinvigorated, and that Mondo’s soul had somehow entered him. One thing he does remember clearly is the pain exploding from the back of his head, and a lot of blood. While he laid there bleeding, losing consciousness fast, he quietly wept. He couldn't stay alive for Mondo… He failed him… That was his last thought before he lost consciousness. 

~~~~

Taka didn't think that death would be so warm… Nor did he think death would have such an annoying yet familiar beeping in his right ear. Wait, beeping? That sounds… Like his old alarm clock.

Kiyotaka sits up and gasps, clutching at his chest. He's… in a strange room, that feels somewhat familiar. Was it really a dream? He reaches up to the back of his head, gingerly touching the throbbing area, before pulling his hand back, staring at the glistening red blood staining his fingers. If it was a dream, why is he bleeding?

“Kiyo, honey, it's almost time for- Oh my god!” Taka looks up just in time to see what seems to be his Mother checking the back of his head, “What happened to you?! Why are you bleeding? Were you attacked?” She asks, gently cradling his head. Taka stays completely silent, unbelievably confused. She takes a few moments to check the back of his head. “You're not going to school today. You need to see a doctor.” 

“School..?” He asks numbly, blinking a few times. He can't seem to collect his thoughts…

“Yes, school. That doesn’t matter right now, we need to get you to a doctors office.” She says, her voice laced with concern. She helps him stand up, as a wave of dizziness washes over him. He nearly falls over, but his mother is there to catch him, letting out a soft gasp. “Do we need to call an ambulance?” She asks nervously, her eyes wide. Taka shakes his head, before quickly stopping the motion. 

It made his head spin, and feel strange, like it’s filled with cotton. He sways dangerously on his feet for a moment, before his eyes roll back into his head, and he passes out. The last thing he hears before blacking out is his mother’s horrified gasp…

~~

It turns out Taka has a concussion and a skull fracture, and the doctors have no idea how he might have gotten them. Of course, Taka himself knows exactly how he got it, but he’s decided to put that life behind him, even if it hurts him to do so. He, of course, wants to see the friends he met in that school, but he knows he can’t. Especially since in this life, it seems, that he’s living in Germany with his mother, while his father and grandfather live in Japan.

“Are you sure you don’t remember a thing last night when you got that injury?” A police officer asks Taka while he lays in a cot in the hospital. He shakes his head slightly, noting that he’s talking in German,

“No, I don’t remember a thing… I don’t remember a lot, actually…” He says quietly, looking up at the officer. The doctors already diagnosed him with amnesia, considering Taka doesn’t remember ever living in Germany. He, obviously, remembers his time at Hope’s Peak High school, but he doesn’t tell them about that, for obvious reasons. The police officer frowns, before turning to talk to his mother, probably about what happened the night before.

He feels almost like he should tell everyone about what he experienced, but he knows that he would probably be institutionalized. He does want to talk about it, to someone, anyone, but he’s far away from Japan here, so he probably will never even seen his friends again… He doesn’t even know if they were figments of his imagination… But it felt way too real for it to honestly be a dream.

~~~~

A few days go by since he’s woken up in Germany with his Mother, and he’s soon going to be checked out of the hospital. He knows his Mother has been talking with the police quite a bit, but he hasn’t tried to pay any attention. He does know, however, that the doctors found that his skull has a healing depression fracture, which seems to be where the blood came from, but no one can say when or how he had gotten the fracture.

The strangest part is that the fracture was already partially healed, much too healed for it to be a recent wound. The only way he could have gotten it was during the night, according to his Mother, and the doctors said the wound had to be at least a week old. Even with that, they weren’t able to pinpoint why or how the wound was opened up once again, causing him to bleed.

Now Taka is just sitting on the bed, his hands clasped in his lap as he stares at them. So many thoughts are racing through his head, none of them positive. ‘What’s happening to the others? Why did he end up back here? Will he ever see them again? … Will he ever see Mondo again?’ He squeezes his tired eyes shut, trying to banish the thoughts as soon as they came. There’s no use in being depressed now; He just has to look forward, look to the future in this world. Even if it means he will never see his friends again… Even if he feels that he’s lost the will to.

“Mr. Ishimaru?” A nurse asks gently, poking her head into the room. He looks up, acknowledging her, “Your Mother is here to check you out,” She says with a small smile, entering his room. “I’m here to unhook you, alright?”

Taka just nods slightly, holding his arm out for her to take the IV out. She makes short work of it, as well as unhooking him from the various other machines in the room. She hands him a pill and a small cup of water,

“Here, take this. It’s for your head.” She says, now typing at a computer in the room. He quickly takes the pill, grimacing slightly. It tastes terrible. “Now I just need to verify a few things, alright?” Taka gives a slight nod, looking over at her. “Date of birth?”

“August 31, 1993.” He says quietly, assuming that it is still some time during 2010. She types away at the computer and nods,

“Alright; First and last name?” She asks, looking over at him.

“Kiyotaka Ishimaru.” He says, not putting emotion into it like he used to. He doesn’t see the use. The nurse hums softly and nods, continuing to click away at the keyboard, asking him a few more questions, before giving him a smile,

“Alright, that’s it! You’re free to go home with your Mother after you get dressed, she’s in the waiting room.” Taka thanks her and slowly stands up, grabbing his clothes. The nurse leaves to give him some privacy, and he quickly slips on his clothes.

He feels quite underdressed, considering he usually wears his old school uniform rather than jeans and a sweater. He doesn’t mind it, though. He probably wouldn’t have the energy to button up the jacket, nor would he want to be in the stiff uniform; he does like the look of the uniform, but that doesn’t mean it’s very comfortable. He lets out a small sigh, walking out of the room and down the unfamiliar hospital hallway, quickly finding the exit to the waiting room.

He walks out, and sees his mother smiling at him, “Kiyo, baby, how are you feeling?” She asks gently, walking up to him and grabbing his hand. He gives her a small, fake smile,

“I’m feeling fine, Mama. May we go home now?” he asks, his red eyes flicking to the door for a moment. He’s desperate to get out of the hospital; he feels claustrophobic in there.

“Of course sweetheart. I’m glad to see you smiling again.” She says as they walk out of the hospital, walking to her car. Kiyotaka quickly gets into the passenger side when his mother unlocks the car and sits down on the driver side. She doesn’t waste time, starting the car up and pulling out of the empty parking lot. For a few minutes, there was just silence filling the car, until,

“I know you said you didn’t remember, but, are you sure you weren’t attacked by someone?” His Mother asks suddenly. Taka looks over at her, shaking his head,

“No, I don’t remember… I honestly can’t remember much.” He says with a small frown, looking at his lap. His Mother nods slightly, eyes not leaving the road.

“If you say so, honey. Please, don’t hesitate to tell me if you remember anything, alright?” She asks, glancing over at him slightly while giving his hand a gentle squeeze. Taka has to bite his tongue; he hates lying, especially to his parents.

“Of course Mama.” He says, giving her hand a gentle squeeze back. He truly did miss his Mother and her sweet personality. She was always so kind to him, so loving… He blinks away tears quickly, not wanting to get wrapped up in emotions right now.

“Here’s some good news that I was planning on telling you later,” his mother says after another few minutes of silence, “we’re moving out of Germany.” Kiyotaka nods slightly, looking over at her,

“Where are we moving to?” He asks, honestly curious. He doesn’t remember ever moving, or even living outside of Japan before he went into Hope’s Peak, so he’s in the dark on what the current happenings are.

“I think you’re going to like this; We’re moving back to Japan!” She says happily, looking over at him for a moment, “I know it hasn’t been that long since we moved here, but you’ve been invited to go to one of the best high schools there!”

Taka’s stomach drops, and his face pales slightly, his throat going dry, “R-Really? What’s the name?” He asks, hiding his nervousness. Please, don’t let it be that school… Anything but that school…

“Hope’s Peak High school. Strange name, isn’t it?” She asks, smiling happily. A sudden rush of dread washes over him, and he feels like he can’t breathe… Why that school? Why? Is he destined to be tortured by his painful memories forever? Taka takes in a quick breath, trying to calm himself down. If he panics here, his Mother will never stop asking him what’s wrong. He forces out a grin,

“Really? That’s great! I’ve always wanted to go there.” He tries to make is voice not sound so tight, but it doesn’t seem to be working. He doesn’t want to go back there… But if he says something, his Mother will be worried because she knows that he is all about school… “When are we going to move there?” He asks, steadying his voice.

“In about a month, so you can finish off this semester of high school. Then you can start the next semester at Hope’s Peak, hopefully, everything will go alright. I know you’ve been wanting to go to that school for a while now, so I’m glad you’re going!” She says with a big smile.

The car ride lasts for a few more minutes, and soon they reach the house. Taka takes his time getting out of the car, still a little bit dizzy considering everything that’s happened. His Mother helps him into the house, and he quickly goes to his room, rummaging around, looking for a notebook. He needs to get all of his thoughts down on paper, before he loses his mind.

It takes him a few minutes to figure out where everything of his is in the unfamiliar, yet strangely familiar, room of his. But once he realizes the pattern of organization, he quickly finds himself an unused leather bound journal. He lets out a relieved sigh, sitting down at the nice mahogany desk in his room, turning on the small light. He grabs a pencil, opening the journal to the first page. He takes a few moments to collect his thoughts into some semblance of order before he starts to write. He doesn’t know how long he writes for; all he knows is that it was quite a long time. Long enough that he had to sharpen and re-sharpen his pencil multiple times, because the point got too dull for him to write in a halfway readable manner. He fills quite a few pages, considering his handwriting is rather small, and when he finally gets his thoughts down on the paper, it’s already dark outside. 

He squints slightly at the windows, before checking his phone. 5:37 pm. Must be winter for it to get dark so fast. He started writing, what, two hours ago? Huh. He had a lot to write, then. He quickly flips through the pages, noticing that some parts of his handwriting gets sloppier because of the emotions he felt when writing the lines. He lets out a heavy sigh and runs a hand through his short, spiky hair. He should probably get something to eat.

He stands up slowly, carefully as to not bother his head, before he walks out of his room, going through a small hallway. It doesn’t take him long to find the kitchen, considering it’s a small one-story house. He quietly walks into the kitchen, footsteps muffled from his socks, and then he starts to look through the fridge. It’s nicely stocked with all kinds of food, which is good, but he isn’t particularly hungry at the moment, so he just grabs an apple.

While he washes the apple in the sink, he lets his mind wander. Maybe this is just a dream, and he’s going to wake up back in the academy… But that doesn’t make too much sense. The last thing he can remember was getting a note from someone detailing how they found an escape route in the repository, and to meet him there at 6 am. He, of course, was there 6 on the dot, even a few minutes early, but he doesn’t remember seeing anyone there. He does, however, remember an explosion of pain blossoming from the back of his head, lying on the floor for a few moments, before he passing out.

Taka’s eyebrows scrunch up slightly as he quietly curses slightly. He knows what happened, now that he has time to think about it. He was most definitely attacked, and likely murdered in the repository. He should have seen it coming. It’s not surprising that he was killed, considering how useless he became after Mondo was… Well, suffice to say he wasn’t useful, not even when he ‘became’ Kiyondo.

He quickly dries the apple off, before beginning to cut it up into even apple slices as he wonders who could have killed him. He doubts that it was Makoto or Kyoko, considering they were the two who solved the murders for the most part… It wasn’t Toko, or Genocide Jack, because of the way he was attacked. Byakuya was a possibility, considering he did consider their situation a game, but he thinks that the Togami heir would have a more thought out and elaborate plan for his murder.

So that leaves three people; Hifumi, Yasuhiro, or Celestia. He doesn’t see Hiro as a murderer, considering his profession, and he doesn’t see Celeste as a ‘hands-on’ murderer… So it was most likely Hifumi. Taka might not seem like the person to keep tabs on everyone he meets, but he enjoys doing so, because it provides a good personality summary of the people he meets, as well as helps him keep tabs on who might be a threat, especially when he was in that school. Obviously his intuition has been wrong before, considering he first thought of Mondo simply as a thug that shouldn’t be there… Not like that matters anymore.

Taka walks over to the couch in the living room and sits down, resting the plate of apple slices in his lap. This whole situation is strange. Very strange indeed. He slowly eats his apple while thinking of what might happen when he goes back to Hope’s Peak, as well as how he should act around his Mother. Of course, he still loves school, and everything about it, such as getting good grades, but with the murder situation he was placed in, no doubt he changed at least a little bit.

He’s still very passionate about school and following the rules, but he doesn’t think he could be as… Well, he doesn’t think he can be the same, like he was before going to Hope’s Peak. He’s still himself in general, but for the most part, he’s more secluded into himself, careful around everyone. Probably because he’s still in the mindset that one of his friends could murder him at any time. He’s also going to have even more trouble getting new friends, and not for the exact same reasons as he had before going to Hope’s Peak. He feels like he can’t, no, shouldn’t get a new close friend… Because he feels like he would be betraying Mondo, as well as thinking something might happen to them to cause them to leave, whether it be voluntary or otherwise.

He picks lightly at the apple skin on one of the apple slices as he chews slowly, many different situations running through his head that might happen at Hope’s Peak. He would just be transported back to that hellish prison, or he could just be going to a completely normal high school. Either way, he’s going to be tense and uncomfortable throughout the entire time of being back. And he probably can’t handle seeing his old friends in either situation, especially Mondo, after he…

Taka blinks, feeling something wet land on his hand. He reaches up with the same hand and touches his cheek, realizing he’s crying. He grinds his teeth and sets down the apple, steeling himself. He’s Kiyotaka Ishimaru, the ultimate Moral Compass, and he needs to pull himself out of his depression! He needs to be strong for his friends and family, even if he can’t see them! He needs to live this life to the fullest for all of them, especially for Mondo. He will be the one to carry their legacy on with him, even if it remains unspoken. This, he knows for sure. He doesn’t know exactly what he’s going to do, but he knows he’s going to something. For everyone. For Mondo.

Taka’s eye’s shine brightly with determination for the first time since he woke up in the strange, yet comforting environment of the open world. No matter what, he has to be strong. Be strong for everyone who couldn’t make it out of that damned school. Be strong For Chihiro, for Hina, for Mondo. He sets aside the plate of apple slices and stands up, giving a determined grin as he clenches his fist. He can do this, with the help of the silent encouragement from his missing friends. He can move on. He can and will face Hope’s Peak with Determination. With… Hope.


End file.
